"He was located by some local people in the area at the request of some family members after Mr. Cook didn't return home after he had left on Tuesday," Trooper Dan Kesten said.

Cook's body was found behind the home of Slippery Rock college student, Matt Zorzi.

"There was a couple of people gathered back there and a couple people in the parking lot and I just went back in and when I came back out there was all kinds of police and caution tape and everything," Zorzi said.

Police are still determining how long Cook may have been in the area, but they said Thursday evening that his death was not the "result of an assault."

Investigators say his family reached out to people in the area when they grew concerned that he didn't return to his Harrisville home.

According to residents, Cook was last seen at the Ginger Hill Tavern and was asked to leave for drinking too much.

"I think they were his roommates. They were looking for him and they went to Ginger Hill, and they had tapes of him leaving out the back door, so they just followed his footsteps right through our yard," Zorzi said.

Attempts to reach the owner of Ginger Hill Tavern were not successful.

"We're going to need to wait for the coroner's report to find out the cause of death, but we're conducting area interviews right now, just to see what people saw in the area," Lt. Thomas Dubovi said.

Forty years ago, one of the greatest boxing matches in history took place in an unlikely setting: the capital of the Philippines. Muhammad Ali's epic win over great rival Joe Frazier in 1975 became known as the "Thrilla in Manila."